Donation Drive:
Please donate to support this site.
I have spent a great deal of time and money on this research.
Research involves travel and many expenses.
Some research "things to do"
are not done for years, because I do not have the money to do them.
Please Donate Here
to support the ongoing research and
to keep this website free.

By the 1806 deed,
Richard Ponsonby is paying Thomas Blennerhassett the yearly sum of £40.
My theory is that this is for the maintenance of his disgraced wife Letitia.
Thomas is the eldest brother.
The father is dead.

If Thomas is being paid maintenance for his sister Letitia,
it is likely that Letitia lives in the same town as Thomas.
It would be a lot of trouble to get the money to her if she did not.

Maybe after her disgrace, Letitia went to live with her brother Thomas?

Maybe the money was paid to him, and not to her, in order to get him to take her in.

It would be difficult for a disgraced Letitia to live in Tralee, where she grew up, and people knew her.

Did Thomas deliberately move to Cork in 1806 to protect his sister?

Thomas named his own daughter Letitia, probably after 1809.
So the scandal did not put him off naming his daughter after his sister.
Maybe Letitia was living with him when his daughter was born.
She might be godmother for the baptism.
Either way, he must have been fond of his sister Letitia.

NLI Ms

We are proposing that
Richard Ponsonby,
the nephew of
Charles O'Hara (the younger)
(MP for Sligo County 1801-22, died 1822),
separated from his wife around 1806 after she had an affair.
Quite possible that some O'Hara letter would mention it.

Have gone through card index for all references to FULLER in
Academy Minutes (VII and VIII) and
Council Minutes (XXV).
Have seen all these.
They record many donations of books and material to the RIA by Fuller.